Variable-voltage lightning arrester



Dec. 12, 1933. R. c. BERGVALL VARIABLE VOLTAGE LIGHTNING ARRESTER Filed May 1, 1950 ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 12, I933 VARIABLE-VOLTAGE LIGHTNING ARRESTER Royal 0. Bergvall, Wilkinsburg,

Pa., assignor to Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania 7 Application May 1, 1930. Serial No. 448,830 g 12 Claims.

Myinventionrelates to lightning arresters and more particularly to lightning arresters having switchesto vary the critical voltages 'of the arresters.

, Prior to my invention, electrical apparatus, par.- ticularly transmission systems fed by waterwheel. generators, which are subject to serious dynamic over-voltages, have been hard to protect against lightning surges. This has been particularly true since it is necessary to provide lightning arresters having critical voltages sufficiently high to prevent, fiashovers .and' consequent damage to the arresters during periods of dynamic over -voltages.

Generators, particularly those operated by water-wheels, are subject to over voltages when the loads aresuddenly removed. Part of the over-r voltage is causedjby.v the inherent regulation of the apparatus and part by the speeding up of the generator before the governor can act to reduce the energy input. This is most serious in a water-wheel-driven generator as water is substantially noncompressible and a too-rapid closing of the gate would'have serious consequences. As arresult of this, water-wheel generators and thec'onnec'ted apparatus are constructed to withstand the electrical and mechanical stresses th a't result from such runaway. j

As over-voltages frequently reach 200% of normal voltage, it has been necessary to provide lightning arrestersof a rating equal to this dy- 'namic over voltage with a corresponding decrease in thejprotection value of the arrester else risk arrester failure.

According to my invention the arrester is built up of a suflicient number of units connected in series to withstand the maximum dynamic overvoltage, such as that which results when a breaker is opened at full load on a system supplied by a generator driven by a water-wheel. However,

under normal operating conditions, serious surges can exist on the system without the arrester dissipating or reducing said surges to a safe value.

In order to reduce critical voltage of, the arrester to a value'low enough to protect the line from surges while operating at normal potential, I provide a short-circuiting switch for a portion of the stack of arrester elements.

' While thearrester may be of any desired design, depending on location and load conditions, Ihave shown a typical outdoor installation as most clearly illustrating my invention.

It'is an object of my invention to provide'a lightning arrester having a variable critical voltage.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the appended drawing in which p Figure 1 is an elevation of a portion of an in- 50 stallation embodying my invention and,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of an arrester embodying my invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing my invention. a 6

The apparatus disclosed in the drawingcomprises a stack of ceramic elements 5 coupled together with tight joints 6, usually metal collars belted, screwed or soldered together. The bottom of the stack is firmly grounded on a plate 8. Mounted on the top of the stack, is one element 10 of a suitabe spark-gap, preferably of the door-knobltypej Located in thestack, is a plurality of valve-type arrester element 11, preferably of the auto-valve or, porous block type, connected in series to have a total critical-voltage surficient to protect the apparatus 12 to which it is connected against dynamic or .run-away over-voltage.

At. any-desirable point, as '15, alead or tap 20 30 is connected to eachof the stacks of elements 11-. The point 15 is so selected that the arrester elements above it will have a critical voltage or potential suificiently high to afford proper protection to the system during the prevalence, of 95 normal potential -or voltage on. the system.

A switch 21, capable of being connected to, or disengaged from, the tap 20, is. firmly'grounded on the bed plate 8 so that, when the switch 21, is open the total of the valve elements are in use and, when the switch is closed, a portion of the elements are short circuited. In this manner, the critical potential of the arrester may be changed at will. If desired, a plurality of taps may be brought out from the series-connected valve elements so that the critical voltage may be changed in any desired number of steps.

The switch 21 is controlled by a quick-acting over-voltage relay 25. The relay 25 may be connected to the system in any desired manner and is preferably set to operate at one hundred and twenty percent (120%) of normal voltage, and the switch should be fully opened in one half second or less, after the dynamic voltage has reached the tripping value, depending upon the voltage-rise characteristic curve of the system to which it is connected.

Eachfindividual switch may be provided-with a tripping relay but I prefer to supply an arrester stack and a short circuiting switch 21 for 0 metal bed 70 a the proper number of elements to give the dernanuai attention 7 back on the line, I prefer to provide a manual reclosing' handle 27.

For purposes of rigidity I usually provide a framework made of such as structural steel. The stackiis guyed to this framework by suitable insulator strings 31.

The framework 30 also supports, on suitable insulators 33, the other half Sect the spark gap which is enclosed in a suitable housing 36. The

1 cuiting switches are closed.

voltage so that no power arrester will affordthe necessary to surges to dissipate the same. the occurrence mined amountthe relay will trip and open the '-maximum overvoltage on saidsystern,

gap elements are connected to the system to be protected by any desired feeder'3'7.

The term critical potential-, as used in this specification, refers to the operating potential ofthe arrester and includes'the starting voltage or the potential at which the valves begin to operate,the ceiling voltage or the potential at which the surge energy is dissipated and its out oit or final potential at which' energy ceases to flow through the arrester. The starting and ceiling voltages are materially higher than the maximum or peak of the generator voltage while the cut off approaches very near to the maximum of'the generated voltage and is preferably slight- 1y higher than the maximum of the generated arcing resulting in damage to the arrester will take place because of the generatedvoltage. v

In operation, my'arrester will be provided with sired maximum protection, I and a tap or taps brought out to providenormal operating protection; The relay will be setto operate at any de sired dynamic over-voltage, and the short cir- Then, so longas no dynamic'over-voltage exists on thesystem, the

However upon of an over voltage of apredeterswitches to increase the critical potential of the arrester and" prevent power arcing through the arrester during the prevalence of the over-voltage.

' I do not desire to restrict myself to the specific embodiment of my invention herein shown and described, since it is apparent that it may be changed and modified without departing from the spirit and scope'of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

iI claim'as my invention: Q 1. A protection device for an electrical system whichicomprises a valve-type discharge device having a suflicient'number of units to withstand a switch, a maximum voltage relay for controlling said switch, said switch, when closed, short-circuiting a sufficient number of said units to make said arrester efficient'for normal voltage conditions on said system and when open, inserting a sufficient number of units to withstand maximum overvoltage onsaidsystem. I

2. Aprotective device for an electrical system comprising a valve-type discharge device having a plurality of series connectedunits andimeans responsive to dynamic voltageconditionson said system for varying the number of; effective units 7 and hence thecritical voltage; of said discharge d vi eany suitable material,

- posed of a low resistance 3. A protective device for an electrical system an over-voltage relay to open said switch upon increase of dynamic voltage on said system.

,4. A' protective device for an electrical system comprising a valve-type lightning arrester complurality' of elements, said arrester having a critical potential of such a value. as to protect the system during the :prevalence of dynamic over-voltage on said system, means for making inactive'a predetermined section of said elements in order to lower the critical potential of said arrester to properly protect said system during the-prevalence of rated potential on said system and means for restoring said section, to 'activityupon the occu'rrencebf a-dynarnic ojyer voltage on said system. g 1

51in combination with an electrical system subject to generator ovep'voltage, a protective device comprising a valve-type lightning arrester having a critical voltage .sufiiciently high to pro tect the system during over-voltage, meansffpr reducingthe critical voltage of said arrester duringtheprevalence of normal generatorvolt'age on said system, and means for restoring the critical voltage of the arrester upon'a predeter mined increase of' generator voltage.

subject to run-away, a protective device comprising a valve-type lightning arrester having a critical voltageof such value as a to protect. the system during run-away, meanslfor makinginactive a portion of s'aidarrester duringnormal voltage on said system and means to restore said 6'. An electrical system comprisinga generator lil portionto activity upon run away or said genera- "I. A protective meansfor a system subject to high dynamic over-voltage which 'comprises an arrester of sumcient size to protectthesystem during the over-voltage, means for short-circuits ing a portion of said arrester' during normal dynamic voltage and means controlled lby the dynamic voltage for opening said short circuit ing' means during periods of dynamic over: voltage.

p 8. A protective means for a system, subject to high dynamic, over -voltage which comprises an arrester of sufficient size to'protectthe system during over-voltage, means for'short-circuit-ing a portion of said arresterduring normal dynamic voltage, and means for opening said shortecircuiti ing means during. periods of :dynamic;v overs voltage. 3

a9. Incombination with a transmission system subject tohigh generator over-voltages, a light-i ning arrester. having sufficient, total capacity to provide protection to said system duringthe duration of said over-voltage, and means for cutting out a portion of said arrester during prevalence of 'normal voltage on said system 10. A protective device for an electrical system subject to ,overa/oltages caused by run away ota generator, which comprises a multiple-unit cur rent-discharging means of suflicient capacity to protect said system during prevalence of said over-voltage, means for making inactivea portion of {said means during periods, of A normal voltage on said system and means 'for restoring said means toactivity upon an occurrenceot overvoltage on said system. 1 11. The combination of anelectrical apparatus having a fixed dynamic normal voltage and an abnormal dynamic over-voltage under certain conditions, said apparatus being alsosubject to transient excess-voltage surges, and means for protecting said apparatus against transient e by-tpassing a suflicientnumber o1 arrester elements to'reduce the valve voltageot excess-voltage surges during normal operating conditions, characterized by a lightning arrester comprising a plurality of valve-type lightningarrester elements in series, the number of said elements corresponding tothe abnormal dynamic over-voltage of the apparatus, and a switch for said lightningthe remaining elementsto the properrating for the normal dynamic voltage of the apparatus.

12. The combination or an electrical apparatus having a fixed v 0 normal voltage and an abnormal dynamic over-voltage under certain conditions, said apparatus being also subject to transient excess-voltage surges, and means for protecting said apparatus against transient excess-voltage surges, duringnormal operating conditions, characterized by a lightning arrester comprising a plurality of valve-type lightninp arrester elements in series, the number of said "elements corresponding to the abnormal dynamic apparatus, and a circuitover-voltage of the breaker, opening in response to a predetermined abnormal dynamic over-voltage of the apparatus 

